Kentucky coach John Calipari said Wednesday that sophomore point guard Ryan Harrow has left the team temporarily to deal with a family issue and “we hope to have him back soon.”

Via his Twitter account, Calipari said he does not expect Harrow to return in time for Friday’s game against LIU Brooklyn.

Tonight’s game against Morehead State be the third consecutive game Harrow has missed after he was limited to only 10 minutes in the team’s opener against Maryland. At the time, Harrow was reported to be experiencing flu-like symptoms. He subsequently underwent blood tests to check for other causes of his discomfort.

"We all love the kid, we want him to do well, we’re trying to walk him through this," Calipari said in a press conference following Wednesday's game. "Mom is a little concerned; he’s a great kid. We need him, but it’s bigger than basketball for me. You want the kid to be right, and you want to make sure in his mind he’s right."

Calipari said Harrow did treadmill work and some individual drills on Monday, and lifted weights Tuesday “to get physically ready to get back on the court.” He has not practiced since the Maryland game Nov. 9.

Kentucky took Harrow as a transfer from N.C. State following the 2010-11 season. Harrow had been a highly ranked recruit but averaged 9.3 points and 23 minutes per game in his one season with the Pack. Calipari pursued Harrow because he did not perceive a strong crop of pure point guards in the 2012 class and believed UK had a better chance of landing Harrow than any of the prospects that were available.

“Unfortunately, Ryan left town this morning w/ his mom to tend to an issue w/ his family & we don’t expect him back in time for Friday’s game,” Calipari wrote on Twitter. “Please keep Ryan and his family in your prayers and we hope to have him back soon.”

In Harrow’s absence, UK has moved freshman Archie Goodwin to point guard, a switch that appears will be permanent now regardless of when Harrow returns. Julius Mays has handled the shooting guard spot and done some facilitation of the offense from that position; he is averaging a career-best 4.7 assists. Former walk-on Jarrod Polson has averaged 20 minutes per game as a second point guard.